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ITV Report

2 June 2014 at 12:39pm

Winnie-the-Pooh named 'best-loved children's book'

Winnie-The-Pooh has been named the best-loved children's book of the last 150 years. Photo: Reuters

Winnie-The-Pooh has beaten other classic children's tales such as Roald Dahl's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit to be named the best-loved children's book of the last 150 years.

A YouGov poll of 2,652 adults put AA Milne's iconic tale of the yellow anthropomorphic teddy bear at number one in a top ten that included just one modern children's tale, The Gruffalo (1999) by Julia Donaldson.

Published in 1926, Winnie-The-Pooh was the first volume of stories about the likes of Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo and the "bear of very little brain".

The Very Hungry Caterpillar came fourth on the list. Credit: PA

Lewis Carroll's fantasy novel Alice's Adventures In Wonderland (1865) came second, followed by The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969) by US author and illustrator Eric Carle.

No books published since 2000 made it into the top 10.

The results were published as Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi launched Story Time with Barnado's and John Lewis, to promote reading and support vulnerable children in the UK.

Capaldi said: "Being read to as a child is something most of us take for granted but for many of the children Barnardo's supports, storytelling and communicating are skills that their parents don't have."

The Hobbit BY J.R.R. Tolkien took fourth place on the list of the nation's best-loved children's books. Credit: PA

He added: "I would encourage people across the country to embrace storytelling, bury your head in a good book and donate as much as you can through Story Time in aid of Barnardo's.

"You'll be helping the charity reach out to parents of some of the UK's most vulnerable children and ensuring they build the confidence and knowledge to help their little one thrive."